Evolution is inevitable. It has brought modernity into our day to day lives, technology and electronic goods being a huge symbol of it. But everything in our world, just like a coin, has two sides, and technology is an example.
It has brought huge positive advancements into our lives, but also advancements that have come with not such a positive side to it. We can see this reflected all around the world, in the case of Ghana, we can speak of Agbogbloshie, an area within Accra, located on the banks of the Korle Lagoon alongside the Old Fadama slum.
It is home to around 800 people. During the 1960s, Ghana started to industrialize with migrants moving to Accra and settling in Old Fadama. It wasn’t until the 2000, that ships started to come in with e-waste, defined as “discarded electronic appliance” nearing or at the end of their life cycle.
Nowadays, the e-waste arrives via the Port of Tema, 20 miles to the east of the Agbogbloshie dump. Huge containers are delivered with around 50 millions tons of electronic waste, or e-waste according to a report published this year by the United Nations.
That figure is projected to double by 2050. At the same time, only 20 percent of e-waste is thought to be recycled appropriately. The rest “ends up in landfill, or is disposed of by informal workers in poor conditions,” the UN found.
Although the Basel convention (a convention that aims to control the movement of hazardous waste to protect human health and the environment) has made it illegal for developed countries to ship hazardous waste to less developed countries, they are often labeled as secondhand consumer products so they are not strictly considered waste.
There clearly seems to be a loophole which allows waste which can be reused or repaired to be sent. However it is unclear where all this waste is coming from, the UN states that 85% of the waste is from Ghana and other parts of West Africa.
It has also been said that developed countries bring it to bridge the digital gap, but in reality it is just creating more of a digital dump.
The reality of Agbogbloshie
After reading all this, no wonder that a lot of negative light is shed on Agbogbloshie. It’s even been nicknamed “Sodom” after the Biblical city destroyed by God for its residents’ sins.
The majority of people you will find here come from the Northern region of Ghana and Nigeria. Their daily work consists of breaking down parts from electrical items such as computers, irons, car parts and TV to find copper, aluminum, zinc, brass and other metals. This has negative effects, such as environmental harm and also involves health risks – workers can inhale toxic fumes, and nearby contaminate food sources.
Despite all this, people still need to make a living. This strong desire towards survival has brought out an entrepreneurial side to them. They make the best out of a bad situation – re-use materials to make items, buy/sell waste, burn the waste to get out materials for resale.
But every coin has two sides to it. In this case we see an ecological disaster versus a means to live.
Agbogbloshie the new entrepreneurial hub: Converting a problem into an opportunity
The site thrives with a hierarchical ecosystem of entrepreneurial activity, divided into different spaces; a space for dismantling and handling different waste streams, repair and refurbishment activities and weighing scales. You can also find food shacks selling local street snacks, protective clothing gear (t-shirt masks) and forms of sanitation with toilets scattered around the place.
Places like this, if handled in the right way and provided with the right initiative, can thrive and provide a valuable service. They offer opportunity for job creation and encourage second-hand markets in electronic and electrical goods while recognising the skills associated with repair.
The Agbogblo Shine initiative
The Agbogblo Shine initiative is an example of an initiative based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 11: making cities and human settlements more inclusive, clean, resilient, and sustainable).
This initiative offers skills training to scrap dealers to transform e-waste into high-end furniture and valuable art by applying design thinking without combustion of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling (WEEE). Educating scrap dealers on the need to adopt sustainable and safer methods of handling e-waste and advocating against the burning of e-waste is also part of The Agbogblo Shine initiative.
Ghana’s government proposal
The Ghana Government proposed to build a $30m waste recycling and disposal site to try and help this environmental issue in Ghana. It would provide the country with a revenue source and be able to generate 40-50 tones of e-waste annually and hopefully and most importantly, provide thousands of jobs.
Ideas for a better Agbogbloshie
No initiative can be 100% perfect but there is the potential for the recycling of electronic waste to be a booming business venture in Ghana as some experts who are aware of these problems, recommend. One great initiave for example, is the work being carried out by these recycling companies in Ghana.
We can say that there are a few steps that could be taken to harness the potential of Agbogbloshie and sites like it.
First of all, more proposals and recognitions such as the one we mentioned above, from investors, the government and the private sector. Through these bodies, funding can be obtained to create safer infrastructure and healthier working conditions.
Second, providing guidelines as to how we can manage the flow of materials to and from e-waste sites. An example of this could be found in the Basel Convention, whose objective is to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes.
Finally, more creative initiatives such as The Agbogblo Shine initiative which gives an opportunity into education and for locals to reinvent themselves. On the other side, offer a new unique, sustainable product into the market which would also help generate income into the local economy.
Who is talking about it?
Some people and activists such as Mike Anane, who recently appeared in the Spanish media talking about the e-waste topic in Ghana, are already spreading the news about it to raise concern and encourage people to take action. You can check out one of his interviews here .
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